


Sleeping Patterns

by MaxTheHeater



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 07:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16929312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxTheHeater/pseuds/MaxTheHeater
Summary: "Are you trying to seduce me into regular sleeping patterns?""Is it working?"





	Sleeping Patterns

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey hey  
> Can you tell I'm obsessed with Dina and Ellie?  
> It's not entirely my fault, I just can't wait for Part II to come out ahhhhh.  
> Anyway I saw some random prompt on insta and wrote this gem.
> 
> Happy reading, Ya Morons!

Dina was not a late sleeper by any means, she had the reputation of being the first to rise in Jackson. Not even the sun had a chance on her.

 

That is, until Ellie showed up.

 

At first she thought that Ellie was part of the night watch or something but when she checked the schedule one day she saw that Ellie was only on the day shifts. Why the hell would Ellie wake up at the ass crack of dawn with no reason? 

 

After a few weeks of casual stalking, in a not weird way of course, she decided to attempt to befriend this strange being. The best time to get her alone would obviously be before everyone was awake, so she decided to wake up extra early.

 

Ellie looked surprised to say the least, when she saw Dina at her normal table in the courtyard around 4AM.

 

“Dina, right? What are you doing awake this early?” She asked.

 

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Ellie opened her mouth as if to respond but she quickly shut it.

 

“Well? You just gonna stand there?” Dina asked

 

“O-oh. Right. Yeah,” Ellie stammered, sitting down.

 

They both sat there for a few moments, Dina studied Ellie a bit better up close.

She seemed really thin still, even though she'd been in Jackson for a few months by now. She also had some noticeable bags under her eyes. Oddly enough, Dina felt concerned for the girl that she'd just barely met.

 

“So.. what are you doing up?” Ellie asked again.

 

“Well, waking up early gives me more time to work in the gardens and clinic during the daytime. How bout you?”

 

Ellie shrugged “couldn't sleep.”

 

Dina narrowed her eyes a little. “You wake up early every day.. can you never sleep?”

 

Ellie shifted in her seat, looking a bit uncomfortable “I-i mean, I guess I just like the quiet.”

 

“Right,” people started coming out of their homes, signaling the end of their privacy “well, I gotta get started on today. See you around Ellie.” she went off to get some work done.

 

//

 

Dina had to admit, even she had trouble getting awake when Ellie did. She must be inhuman or something, she'd heard some things at the school that she was a crazy infected girl, but she'd always told the other kids to politely leave Ellie the fuck alone, and that shut them up enough.

 

One day, Dina had been shifted with a late night/early morning shift on the guard towers because Richard, the guy for that shift, had recently got a cold. She always hated these shifts because she had no one to talk to, and almost nothing dangerous ever came to Jackson after Joel had taken care of the raiders a few months before. Nevertheless, Tommy said safety of the community first.

 

Around 2AM Dina was getting restless, until she heard a twig snap somewhere to the right.

Her first thought was  _ oh shit, infected. _ Her second was  _ wait, this whole areas been cleared for weeks  _ and then her third was;

“ _ Ellie!?” _ The girl in question had a definite deer in the headlights look to her. Dina had shone her flashlight to the source of the sound and where Ellie was frozen, her foot still on the stick. Caught in the act.

 

“Uhm.. hey Dina” Ellie tried to pull off casual and started climbing the guard towers to meet Dina.

 

“Don't 'hey Dina’ me. What the hell are you doing outside the walls? Let alone at night?”

 

“Hey, not so loud. It's not that big of a deal I-I just went for a walk, Y'know, fresh air and all that.” she said rubbing her hands nervously.

 

“You do realize you could go for a walk  _ within  _ the walls too, right?”

 

Ellie appeared quite literally dead on her feet, Dina offered her the lone chair on the tower.

Ellie gratefully dropped onto it like a sack of potatoes.

 

“So, couldn't sleep again. Huh?” Dina continued looking towards the dam.

 

“Fuck, Dina. It's not even any of your business” Ellie sighed.

 

Dina usually would have shrugged this comment off but she truly considered Ellie a friend by now. Meeting at ungodly hours of the day must've messed with her brain.

 

“Oh excuse me for worrying about my friends well being.” She huffed out.

 

Ellie was silent for a minute, Dina turned to see her staring.

 

“Y-you think we're friends?” She mumbled.

 

“Well.. yea, unless you don't want to be.” 

 

“No! No, I mean yea I wanna be friends! It's just..” Ellie waved an arm at nothing in particular “no one here seems to really like me”

 

“Well, you could try being just a  _ little _ nicer once in a while. Y'know sulking in the corner and sneaking outside the walls at every given opportunity isn't exactly very inviting. God only knows why I even bother with you”

 

Ellie yawned and stretched, “Big Man probably just wants to torment you. Or me, depending on how you look at it.”

 

Dina smirked “go get some sleep El.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah okay. See you tomorrow Dina.” And with that she hopped off the guard tower with much more athletic ability that anyone awake at 2AM should possess.

 

//

  
  


The next morning at breakfast Dina easily found Ellie in the dining area of the courtyard, all she had to do was follow the sounds of commotion and undoubtedly a fight. 

 

When she approached she noticed Ellie holding a knife at James, one of the kids from school. She decided to stop this before Ellie did something she'd regret.

 

“Hey Ellie! C'mere. I gotta show you something.” This caught the red heads attention, and she came over. Leaving a glaring James behind her.

 

“I thought I told you to be nice?” Dina chided.

 

“I was!” Ellie stubbornly protested.

 

“You threatened James with a knife.”

 

“Well, yea.. but I didn't stab him. I totally could've.”

 

“I have no doubt, but please Ellie. I don't need to be worrying about who you picked a fight with every day.”

 

“Yea.” She sighed “he's such a dick.” 

 

“I know. Anyway, come with me. I'd like to teach you a bit about gardening. We could use a few more farm hands around here.”

 

They spent the rest of the day in Dina's garden, Ellie had some trouble remembering what each plant did in the medicinal garden area, but Dina found it adorable when her brow creased every time she concentrated on what Dina was telling her. She even had a speckle of dirt on her check that Dina couldn't bring herself to rub off.

 

Ellie rubbed her eyes “damn this is too much stuff to remember on only nine hours of sleep”

 

“Ellie, nine hours of sleep is plenty”

 

“I meant in the past four days” she said casually.

 

Dina didn't really mean to gape at her, but it happened anyway.

 

“You've only had nine hours of sleep in the past four days?” She repeated, to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

 

“Yea, maybe less. Hey, what's this for?” She asked, pointing at the ginger.

 

Dina didn't even answer her question, instead she asked; “what's wrong with you Ellie?” 

 

“I think a better question would be what's  _ not wrong with me _ ?” Ellie half-joked.

 

“I’m serious, El. Why don't you sleep?” 

 

Ellie stared intently at the ground. “When I close my eyes, I can see her face.” Dina waited for her to elaborate.

 

“Riley, I mean. She was my best friend. It's- it's my fault she's dead. She came back for me and I-I got her killed, Dina.” 

 

Dina hugged Ellie from the side, she hadn't expected Ellie to actually open up to her–usually she'd shrink away– but this time she accepted the embrace.

 

They didn't really talk after that, Dina just took Ellie back to her place and cuddled with her on the couch until she fell asleep. Later they both got in trouble for neglecting their duties, but they both privately agreed it was worth it.

 

//

 

They had these little naps together many times over a few months. They never really put a label on it but were both glad that they could be there for each other, Ellie slept a lot more than she ever had before, and it made her more pleasant to be around for the rest of Jackson.

 

That is, until Dina started dating Jesse.

 

When Dina told Ellie the news, she was sort of surprised to see the look of disappointment flash across her friends face, and then she found herself disappointed when it quickly was replaced by a clearly fake smile.

 

After that, they stopped having their daily naps. Even Dina's normally happy and carefree mood was dampened. It wasn't until Jesse mentioned it that she realized she was missing Ellie, who had taken to avoiding her the past few weeks.

 

“God Dina, what happened? You were so happy before we started dating.. now you seem like you don't even like me. Did I do something wrong?” leave it to Jesse to assume it was his fault. 

 

“No no. It's not you. Actually Jesse, I think it's me. I thought this was what I wanted but.. I guess I'm not sure anymore.” She admitted.

 

“That's it? Are we calling it quits?” He asked.

 

“Yeah, I guess” 

 

“Okay. Well, if you change your mind let me know. See you around, Dina.” 

 

Dina felt sort of ashamed how happy she was that he'd left afterwards. She decided to call in sick. She needed a day to herself.

 

//

 

That same night, while she was sleeping Dina felt a cold, thin body press against hers under the blankets.

 

“Y'know, it'd be safer if you locked your window.” Ellie whispered in her ear.

 

“Yea, but then you'd have to sit outside my window like a creep”

 

Ellie chuckled.

 

“Now shut up, my mom is a light sleeper.”

 

They both fell asleep in each other's arms and got the best sleep either of them had had.

 

//

  
  


After a while, this too became the norm. Funny how Dina went from watching Ellie in the morning to bringing her home to her bed each night. Even Joel seemed impressed when he interrogated her, warning “you hurt my baby girl and you won't live to tell the tale.”

 

as she changed he train of thought,Dina tugged Ellie's arm “Time for bed”

 

Much like Dina's stubborn younger brother she replied, “I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired.”

 

Dina sighed and put on her puppy dog eyes “but  _ darling _ , I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl into my arms so I feel safe.”

 

Ellie blushed bright red and followed Dina into bed.

 

“O-oh. Okay, if you insist.”

 

After they had settled and Dina was drifting to sleep, Ellie asked, “are you trying to seduce me into regular sleeping patterns?”

 

Dina sleepily smiled into the pillow “is it working?”

 

“A little.”

  
  


**_THE END_ **

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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